The illustrative embodiments described in the present application are useful in systems including those for providing independent translational motion on two axes using one motor and more particularly are useful in systems including those for providing an ink jet printing system having a single motor to drive a maintenance station and for moving a print head into a printing position.
Systems for moving print heads and maintenance stations in mailing machines have been described. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,876 issued Apr. 29, 1997 to Murphy, III, et al., describes an apparatus and method for positioning a printing mechanism between stations in a mail handling apparatus. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,717,165, issued Feb. 10, 1998 to Cohen, et al., describes an apparatus and method for positioning and isolating a printing mechanism in a mail-handling machine.
One traditional mechanism that has been utilized for translating rotary motion to linear motion in machines including motors is known as the Scotch Yoke. In such a mechanism, a rotary motor with a crank drives a pin with a rotary motion wherein the pin is displaced in a slot of an arm in a linear channel. The resulting reciprocating linear motion of the arm is perpendicular to the slot and is sinusoidal.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,641,313, issued Nov. 4, 2003 to Bobry describes a motion control for multiple path raster scanned printer. It describes a device that utilizes a traditional Scotch Yoke mechanism couple to one of two motors used for movement drives.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,007,178, issued Dec. 28, 1999 to Asano describes a drive gear system using a single motor for a priming operation and driving a platen in a postage meter in which a swing gear is utilized to alternate gear trains driven by a motor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,401,025, issued Aug. 30, 1983 to Vogelhuber, et al. describes a device for pivoting a printing unit that describes a slotted crosshead or Scotch yoke which is described as part of a pivoting mechanism.
Accordingly, the prior art does not provide a mailing machine for using one motor for independent translational motion on two axes to drive a maintenance station and a print head.